A forgotten gem

From Patheos-

One of the greatest Anglican books of the 20th century is about to be republished on this side of the pond.  This is a cause for rejoicing.  Not only because E.L. Mascall was a great (and orthodox) Anglican theologian, but also because this book will help solve numerous theological problems for Christians in this troubled century.  Besides, as a stutterer who has written about famous stutterers, I am sympathetic to theologians who have a speech defect, as Mascall did.

Here is an excerpt from my foreword to this new edition of Christ, the Christian and the Church (Hendrickson, Fall 2017).

Eric Lionel Mascall (1905-93) was one of the best–perhaps the sharpest and most lucid–of orthodox Anglican theologians in the twentieth century.  An Anglican priest who finished his career as Professor of Historical Theology at King’s College in the University of London, Mascall excelled in mathematics at the university, and boasted of never having been formally trained in graduate-level theology.  These two facts might help explain why his theology was hailed for being so wide-ranging, incisive, and elegant.

More here-

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/northamptonseminar/2017/04/01/a-forgotten-gem/

God Is Laughing at You

From Pacific Standard-

Of all the things you'd expect to fall out a window, a foreskin might not immediately come to mind. Yet there it was, young Tristram Shandy's unceremonious circumcision landing with a slap against the cold ground outside his family's house. Young Tristram had only been trying to relieve himself in the absence of a chamber pot, but when the window fell it did the job that no doctor had done before.

It might surprise you to know that this scene, which comes from the book named for its protagonist, was written by an Anglican clergyman, Laurence Sterne. Then again, it might not—it's quite a famous book, and it wouldn't be the first time a religious leader had allowed himself to make bawdy jokes. But the joke of Tristram Shandy goes beyond accidental bodily separations and coalesces into a broader, more thorough satire that seeks to ridicule the solemn and the self-important—to puncture basic notions of human dignity. Ridicule of the sort that brings us Shandy's foreskin isn't just meant to bring levity to the story—it is the story itself.

More here-

http://www.psmag.com/books-and-culture/god-is-so-totally-laughing-at-you

Welcome to the 100 best Christian books website

From The Church Times (100-11)

Paul Handley explains why we began our quest for the best 100 Christian books, and how we reached our verdicts.

HUMAN progress involves assimilating the wisdom of past generations, and building on it. The most valuable lessons are still conveyed by word of mouth, but these can be very basic instructions — and, besides, you have to be within earshot.

The jury is still out on the efficacy of modern methods of communications. The vast encyclopaedia that is the internet has to be acknowledged as a boon, despite its darker and more irritating aspects. As the editor of a newspaper, I recognise the value of Twitter for alerting people to events; and, as the editor of a newspaper with a healthy budget for photos, I can even see the value of things such as Instagram.

More here-

http://www.ct100books.co.uk

100 Best Christian Books How we took our pick

From The Church Times-

We begin our three-part countdown of the top 100 Christian books. Go to www.ct100books.co.uk for books 100-51, together with an explanation of our methodology and original CT reviews, where they exist.

HUMAN progress involves assimilating the wisdom of past generations, and building on it. The most valuable lessons are still conveyed by word of mouth, but these can be very basic instructions - and, besides, you have to be within earshot.


More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/26-september/features/features/how-we-took-our-pick

First edition book nearly thrown away with trash to get new life

From Charleston WV-

A first edition autographed copy of Helen Keller’s “Out of the Dark” almost had a tragic accident nearly 50 years ago — it was placed in an unwanted box of books intended for an apartment garbage incinerator in Washington, D.C.

But before the book was gone forever, Tom Rardin, now a Charleston resident, saved it from being destroyed. Now, years later, he has donated the almost 99-year-old book to be sold Saturday at the “Treasures on Earth” antique fundraiser held by St. John’s Episcopal Church.

In 1964, Rardin lived in a high-rise apartment near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. He said on his floor lived a mother and daughter, whose names he could not recall, who were both teachers at George Washington University.
- See more at:

http://www.charlestondailymail.com/article/20140814/DM01/140819520/1281#sthash.JQU27mGV.dpuf

50 Years On, 'Mockingbird' Still Sings America's Song

From NPR- One of my favorites turns fifty-

Fifty years ago, Harper Lee had the kind of success that most writers would die for: Shortly after her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published on July 11, 1960, it hit the best-seller lists. In 1961, it won a Pulitzer Prize, and in 1962, it was made into an Academy Award-winning film. It has never gone out of print. Lee stepped out of the limelight and stopped doing interviews years ago — and she never wrote another book.

Still, her influence has far outlasted most writers of her generation. For the high-schoolers reading To Kill a Mockingbird today, America is a very different place than it was when Lee wrote her novel 50 years ago. Lee's story of Scout Finch and her father, Atticus — a small-town Southern lawyer who defends a black man unjustly accused of rape — came out just as the nation was fighting over school desegregation. Today, in a 10th grade English class at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., students of many different races and ethnicities are studying the book together. Their teacher, Laurel Taylor, says that the story still resonates — and with students of all backgrounds.

More here-

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128340180